Issue #37 - Round and round 😵
More energy price spikes | How to create a social media marketing strategy | Quick energy-saving tips for SMEs | 5 businesses, 1 question! | Tunes | Podcasts | More
🦾 G O
More movement in the energy market 📈
Welcome to Issue #36 of The Backbone - the fortnightly newsletter from Bionic.
It’s been another turbulent couple of weeks in the energy market. Since our last issue, prices have spiked again, thanks to concerns over supply from Russia. Not only is the conflict in Ukraine still causing uncertainty, but Nord Stream 1 (a huge pipeline that channels natural gas from Russia to Europe) has been shut down for scheduled maintenance, affecting supply chains and pushing prices up further.
Prices have been so volatile that some suppliers have had to remove rates from the market. It feels like things are going round in circles - a similar thing happened at the start of the year, but not as many suppliers have pulled prices this time. This means most of our panel are still offering rates and we have deals you can switch to if your contract is up for renewal.
Such high levels of uncertainty highlight the importance of comparing rates to find a better-priced fixed-term deal at the earliest opportunity.
And now for some good news stories…
🏧 US firefighter makes an unusual withdrawal from a cash machine
🖌 Giving some love to shutters and shop fronts
🌌 NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope reveals invisible bits of space
📨 S U B S C R I B E
Subscribe to The Backbone to get each fortnightly edition into your inbox at 7 am every other Friday. Perfect for a quick read at breakfast or on the commute.
🗞 R E A D
How to create a successful social media marketing strategy
Social media is a big part of modern life. Whether you have a personal Instagram account, use Facebook to catch up with friends or scroll through TikTok for the latest lifehacks, social media is everywhere.
But have you ever thought of boosting your SME with it? We’ve put together this handy guide to help you refine your technique and start using social media for business.
Quick energy-saving tips for SMEs
It doesn’t matter if your business operates with a few staff from small premises or employs a large workforce over several sites, being mindful of how you’re using gas and electricity is vital when looking for ways to save money on your business energy.
The great news is that a lot of these savings can be made by making very simple changes to your daily working routine. Now is a fine time to put our tips into action and get ready for winter when you’ll be using more energy. It’ll be here sooner than you think.
🗣 S H O U T O U T
#BionicBusinessStory - 5 businesses, 1 question 🤔
We love hearing all about how small business owners got to where they are? The stories of how they’ve built their business, the things that keep them awake at night, their biggest achievements, and how they cope when life feels like it’s going at 60 miles an hour. We asked five business owners one simple question, and here’s how they answered…
Bionic: What has been the biggest struggle when setting up your business?
🔮 “I didn’t really know what I was doing, to be honest, my career isn’t something I wanted to give up, but it was certainly an attractive option to set up a small business on the side.” Untapped Potential Tarot Reading
💐 “We’ve had some really tough times. We’ve been through two recessions and times where we really weren't sure if the shop could keep going. In the past, I've had to get extra jobs just to keep the business afloat.” Sue Colledge - Colledge’s Florist
🍰 “The biggest challenge I face is working from home with my children around. Although I love them being there to learn how I do what I do, I have to come up with little activities to keep them busy as tiny fondant models, sweets and big bowls of chocolate are incredibly tempting to little hands.” Heidi Kay - Handmade by Heidi
☕ “We had massive problems trying to buy the tea room in the beginning. No banks would help us out but my dad urged me to look into a 'Business Enterprise Fund.’ Jo Hunter - That Tea Room
🍩 “Covid was the biggest hurdle for us. We had to start doing home deliveries, then other challenges we’ve had have been just generally increasing production while we’re expanding and managing customers. Things like that.” Wade Smith - Doughnotts
Click on the open shop sign below to check out more Bionic small business stories 👇
📩 J O I N
Get involved with our business community 🔊
Share your thoughts and tips to give other busy business owners a helping hand. Or ask a question to see if anyone can help you out.
Get your business costs sorted 💷
Bionic - the business price comparison experts - compare a range of business essentials to help you save time, money, and hassle.
Our tech-enabled team will answer all your questions in simple terms, and help you find the best deal on business energy, insurance, phone, broadband, or finance. No jargon. No-fuss. #BeABionicBusiness 🦾
Stephen Morris didn’t need to put a new order in for his next energy deal, our Digital Renewal Service did it for him. Find out more about digital renewals, here.
Check out more ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Trustpilot reviews
🎧 L I S T E N
Playlist
Eagle-eyed readers may have noticed a number of krafty nods to a certain Manchester band in this issue, but while there was a temptation to include a New Order playlist, we thought we’d instead go with one from Paper - a Manchester-based label that’s been pushing all things deep house and disco from the furthest reaches of the world since the early Nineties. Picked by Glyn, Chief Customer Officer and Mr Disco at Bionic, this is 15 hours of funky beats from the great, the good, the known, and the unknown of disco.
Podcast
Start Your Own Business is a podcast from StartUp Donut. Each episode is dedicated to a specific topic, and some of the UK's leading small-business experts give you their top tips on meeting a variety of essential start-up challenges.
👩🤝👩🏾 S H A R E
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🏡 H O U S E K E E P I N G
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🚫 S T O P
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Round & Round, Movement, Technique...